What varieties of watermelon are there, and what are the benefits of eating watermelon in summer?

As the saying goes, summer has three treasures: watermelon, wifi and air conditioning. Watermelon is a fruit we all love, with smooth skin that is green or yellow with patterns, and juicy flesh that is red or yellow (rarely white). China is the world's largest producer of watermelons, but opinions differ about the origin of the watermelon. There are many watermelon varieties. In the south, Hainan Island is the main producing area, and due to its unique climate characteristics, watermelons are abundantly produced all year round. In the north, the area along the Yellow River is the main planting belt; the land on both banks of the Yellow River is fertile, and the sandy soil is most suitable for watermelon growth, producing melons that are both sweet and sandy-textured. From Lanzhou in Gansu down to Shaanxi, Hebei, Henan and Shandong. Among them, Shandong is the main watermelon producing area, mainly concentrated in the western Shandong region in Liaocheng, Dongming, Weifang, Changle, Dezhou, Sishui and other places. So, what exactly are the benefits of eating watermelon in summer?

Introduction to watermelon varieties

1. Qilin watermelon

A type of watermelon, it is a newly bred scientific research variety, and the melon seed has very high requirements for the growing environment, soil and sunlight. Since it takes only about 60 days from planting to flowering and from flowering to harvest, even though cultivation is demanding, because of the short cycle, good taste and quick returns, farmers in Wenzhou and Hainan are still very willing to grow it.

2. Dali watermelon

It can be called the king of melons, rich in vitamin A, B1, B2, C, glucose, sucrose, fructose, malic acid, glutamic acid and arginine, etc. It has the effects of clearing heat and relieving summer heat, promoting urination and lowering blood pressure, and has a certain auxiliary therapeutic effect on high fever and thirst, summer heat and excessive sweating, nephritis with little urine, high blood pressure and so on. Dali watermelon is famous for its sandy flesh, sweet taste, high water content and rich nutrition.

3. Square watermelon

Also known as cube watermelon, an expensive and rare watermelon variety, shaped like a die, it is a famous specialty of Zentsuji City in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan, and the general market price is around 10,000 to 15,000 yen (about 800 to 1,200 RMB). Square watermelon is sought after from all over Japan for its special appearance, and its highly difficult cultivation methods and management model further increase its preciousness.

4. Exploding watermelon

Produced in Dongtai City, Jiangsu Province, it is named for its thin and crisp skin, which bursts open as soon as the skin is touched.

5. Early Spring Red Jade

It is a first-generation hybrid extremely early-maturing small red-fleshed watermelon, a new first-generation hybrid small watermelon variety introduced from Japan. The Yangtze River basin and other places in China are suitable for planting this watermelon, and there are many production areas in Shandong.

6. Black King Kong watermelon

A first-generation watermelon hybrid bred by the Horticulture Research Institute of the Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

7. Seedless watermelon

It is triploid. Because triploid cells experience disordered synapsis during meiosis, triploid watermelons cannot form seeds. Its parents are diploid watermelon and tetraploid. Ordinary watermelon is a diploid plant, that is, it has 2 sets of chromosomes in its body (2N=22). Treating its seedlings with colchicine makes the chromosome cells of the diploid watermelon plant become tetraploid (4N=44). This tetraploid watermelon can flower and bear fruit normally, and its seeds can germinate and grow normally.

8. Jingxin No. 2

It is a replacement variety for “Jingxin No. 1”, has passed national approval and obtained plant variety protection. This variety sets fruit well under low temperature and weak light, the fruit swells quickly, the appearance is beautiful and uniform, the yield is high, and it comes to market early. The whole growth period is 88-90 days, and its growth vigor is slightly stronger than “Jingxin No. 1”. Round fruit, green base with slightly narrow stripes, with wax powder. The flesh is red, the fruit flesh is crisp and tender, the taste is good, the sweetness is high, and the sugar content is above 12%. The skin is thin, and its cracking resistance is greatly improved compared with “Jingxin No. 1”. It is resistant to fusarium wilt and tolerant to anthracnose, and a single melon weighs 6-8 kg. It is suitable for protected and open-field early-maturing cultivation nationwide.

9. Te Xiaofeng

An evergreen, clumping, low, climbing small shrub, up to about 1.5 m tall. It grows on pine forest slopes and in shrub thickets. The young branches have spreading dense gray-brown long bristles and short soft hairs. The leaves are densely arranged, hard leathery, ovate-oblong, with a blunt tip, often with a short pointed tip or small protruding head, and a nearly round base, with a few bristles on both sides. After cutting open, the flesh is red or yellow, and the taste is sweet and sour and delicious. It is deeply loved by ordinary people and is an excellent gift for festivals.

10. Qinghongbao watermelon

The fruit is described as oval, with a dark green netted rind, a longitudinal diameter of 33 cm, a transverse diameter of 23 cm, a fruit shape index of 1.46, and a rind thickness of 1.0—1.2 cm; the flesh is red, and the 1000-seed weight is 42.0 g.

11. Yellow-skinned watermelon

The texture is relatively fine, the taste is more sandy and crisp, with lots of juice, thin skin and high sugar content, and it tastes better than ordinary watermelon. Villagers of Nanwan Village, Chengguan Town, Fukang City planted many yellow-skinned watermelons, and many people mistake yellow-skinned watermelons for muskmelons. This spindle-shaped watermelon with yellow skin and red flesh was a new variety in 2006. When ripe, the yellow-skinned watermelon has thin skin and sweet flesh, and its weight can reach five or six kilograms. Its distinctive color made the yellow-skinned watermelon highly favored as soon as it came to market, and its price per kilogram is nearly double that of ordinary watermelon.

12. Zaojia 8424

This variety is the 24th group of improved seeds successfully bred in 1984 by agricultural experts of the former Nanhui District of Shanghai. Because of its thin skin, abundant juice, sweetness and refreshing taste, plus its moderate size, it has become the “ace” among watermelons in recent years and is deeply loved by city residents. After years of seed propagation, there are now many and mixed 8424 varieties, and farmers find it difficult to distinguish the best variety. Among the many varieties, [Pure 8424] performs relatively prominently. Without later improvement, it possesses the original excellent characteristics of 8424 such as good sweetness and taste. It is deeply favored by growers.